Island Life
by DaisyLoop
Summary: AU: Ginny Weasley awakes to find herself on a tropical island, along with Draco Malfoy and Susan Bones. Why have they been put there and what will Ginny discover during her stay on the island? Doesn't end up how you think it will.
1. Chapter 1

This story is AU: Draco, instead of killing Dumbledore, changed sides at the last moment on top of the Astronomy Tower. Dumbledore is alive and Draco is on the 'good' side, though he still has all his old prejudices. Snape had to reveal himself as a spy to save Draco that night and now is wanted by the Dark Lord. JKR owns all the characters etc. Please read and review!

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The sound of distant gulls began to make its way into Ginny's ears. _'Odd'_ she thought, but still in the comfortable state between sleeping and waking she ignored it. A warm breeze drifted across her face. _'I must have left the window open again! I'll close it later…' _She turned over only to find herself with a face full of sand. '_Sand?'_

Ginny propped herself up on her hands and looked around. She was on a beach. And this wasn't Brighton either; it appeared to be a tropical South Sea's type of beach. The sand was golden-white and there were Palm Trees –_Bloody Palm Trees_- along the edge of a small patch of forest. She shook her head vigorously. How the fuck did this happen?

She sat up properly this time and reached for her wand. This must be a Death Eater trick she thought, grip tightening on her wand. The last thing Ginny could remember was going to sleep in her own bed, the night after Bill and Fleur's wedding. Her parents had come in to wish her goodnight, slightly strange they both came, but perhaps they were feeling emotional about Bill getting married? It was nothing out of the ordinary that's for sure.

Now she was on an island.

An island. It could be anywhere for all she knew, Pacific, Caribbean Mediterranean, off the coast of bloody Africa! Ginny was scared and angry, not a good combination for anyone, but especially not a Weasley. Perhaps this was why it took her a few minutes to realise there was a well worn trail winding its way into the bush. It went in about 20 metres and turned a corner out of view.

Getting up and dusting herself off Ginny contemplated what she should do. Surely it was a trap. There'd be half a dozen Death Eaters waiting for her around that corner. She couldn't just walk down it. It could be some magical maze you can never escape. Just as she was thinking all this Draco Malfoy walked out from around the bend in the track.

"You!" she yelled, wand pointed at his heart. He looked extremely startled to see her.

"What the fuck?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know what this is Malfoy. Just because Dumbledore believes in second chances, I don't. Why am I here eh? What's your plan? Where are the others?" she said it all before she realised how paranoid it sounded.

"You're flipping mental Weasley!" Draco said an ugly look on his face.

"Well tell me why I'm here then!"

"I don't bloody know!" Draco shouted arms in the air. He was wearing his wizard robes and looked back to his old health, a bit more colour in his face then there had been at the end of the last school year, but despite this he was still pale. "I was reading at Grimmuald Place and must have dozed off. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in the middle of a tropical jungle with a snake on my leg! I shook it off and sprinted down the path I was laying on, and here I am staring at Ginny-bloody-Weasley! I expect Neville Longbottom to spring out from behind a coconut tree any second!"

"You really don't know anything do you?" Ginny asked somewhat disappointed.

"No" said Draco cooling off "You don't either then?"

"No same story really, fell asleep, woke up here"

Ginny gazed up and down the stretch of beach. Nothing in either direction expect more sand and a few rocks.

"Do you think…_he _might have something to do with it?" Draco asked sounding terrified.

"Don't jump to conclusions" said Ginny, even though this was exactly what she'd been thinking. She still despised Draco Malfoy, despite the fact he'd decided to change sides and the last moment and not kill Dumbledore. He now had half the Death Eaters in Britain hunting for him.

"What should we do?" Ginny asked after a moments pause.

"I don't know Weasley, this happens to be my first time on a desert island." Draco's speech dripped with his trademark sarcasm.

"Oh relax Malfoy, it's just a question."

They both sat down in the sand, stumped. There was still a large space between them, neither wanting to be closer then necessary to the other. The adrenaline rush was beginning to wear off and Ginny was finally noticing how repressively hot her new environment was. The humid air seemed thick and hard to breathe.

"Maybe we should follow the track?" Ginny suggested after a pause

"What, further into the bush?"

"Yes of course Draco. Oh you're not scared are you?" Ginny asked catching the look on his face.

"No, just…could be dangerous. There might be…savages!"

"Savages? Come on Draco, we both have wands for crying out loud!"

Ginny got up to walk on and Draco, clearly terrified at the thought of being left alone, promptly followed her. Somehow the terrified presence of Draco Malfoy was doing a great deal to boost Ginny's own courage. They rounded the bend in the track.

"This was where I was lying" said Draco pointing to a bunch of leaves and twigs "A bloody snake on _my _foot!" Ginny rolled her eyes and kept walking.

They walked straight a few more metres and came to another twist in the narrow track. Rounding it a house came into view in the middle of a clearing.

"Bloody hell"

"Do you think we should see if anyone's at home?" Ginny asked

"Right behind you" said Draco

The house appeared to be a sort of modern batch, complete with sliding doors and a veranda. It was completely out of place in such a rustic setting.

Ginny knocked. Hearing no answer she pulled the door open and let herself in. Draco followed her inside.

They were standing in a modern muggle kitchen. It was large and open plan and spread out into a lounge area, complete with a TV, DVD, stereo and computer. To Ginny and Draco, both purebloods who'd never set foot in a Muggle Studies class, this was rather meaningless.

"Come on" said Ginny, walking through the living room and opening a door which led into a hallway. There were photographs of colourful tropical fish along the walls and a hibiscus flower print on the skirting board. All in all it gave a slightly tacky Hawaiian feel to the house. There were 3 doors leading off from the hall. Ginny gingerly opened the first one and was a little disappointed to find it empty. There was an unmade bed and a chest of draws, along with a trunk in the room. The island décor continued in here too.

"Hold it a second" said Draco angrily rushing past Ginny "That's my trunk!" He opened it and sure enough half of Draco's wardrobe and personal effects fell out.

"What the hell? Who would do this?" Draco asked puzzled.

"Someone close enough to you to have access to Grimmauld Place and all of your clothes. Perhaps a spy in the Order?" Ginny suggested.

"But most of my clothes were at the Manor and I haven't been back since school ended. And look at this-" Draco held up a rather batted book "- it was my favourite book when I was a first year…it was definitely at the Manor."

Ginny cringed to herself each time Draco said 'Manor'

"Come on, there are two other rooms to check" she said dragging Draco away from his belongings.

Ginny grabbed the doorknob on the next door and swung it open. To both their amazement there were two beds in this room and one appeared to have someone in it.

"Is that a girl?" Draco asked loudly

"Shhh!" said Ginny, aware it could easily be a Death Eater in disguise. Unfortunately Draco had awoken whatever it was. She stretched, turned around and screamed. Ginny sighed in relief; it was only Susan Bones.

"WHERE AM I? WHATS GOING ON?" she yelled at the top of her lungs

"Relax Susan, it's me, Ginny." Ginny said. She knew Susan a little from the DA and through friends of friends but Susan was in the year above Ginny and a different house, so they weren't close at all.

"What the fuck? I was asleep at Hannah's and now I wake up and I'm here?"

"We're on an island" Ginny said and then told the story of her and Draco waking up on the beach and in a jungle and not knowing what was going on. Susan sat and listened. Ginny felt acutely sorry for Susan; the last Bones left alive. The rest of her family had been murdered by Death Eaters not one week into the summer holidays. Ginny could hardly bare to think what she'd do if one of her brothers was killed, let alone all of them. Susan was a pretty girl; she had rich brown hair and eyes of the same colour, and cheek bones you only noticed after you'd been looking at her for a while. She was the sort of person who wouldn't stand out in a crowd but seemed to become prettier the longer you looked at her.

"Merlin's Beard" said Susan once Ginny had told her story. Draco leaned against the wall, paler then before. Perhaps he was feeling guilty about his former colleagues being responsible for Susan's orphan status.

"Shall we go open the last door then?" asked Susan, calmed down to her normal self.

"Yeah good idea, you'll probably be a lot more help then-" Ginny's eyes shot at Draco "-_some_ people"

This time Susan twisted the door handle while Ginny and Draco stood with their wands ready should whatever was inside decide to attack them. It didn't try to attack them. It was sitting on its bed looking rather scornful. It was Severus Snape.


	2. Chapter 2

"Snape!" Susan and Ginny yelled in unison

"Prof- Professor!" Draco stammered "Wh-what

"Please Draco, do make and effort to control your stutterings, you're beginning to sound like Longbottom" Snape said. Snape had clearly been less then pleased with Draco ever since he had caused him to sacrifice his status as a spy by helping Draco escape the Death Eaters the day he turned traitor and refused to kill Dumbledore.

"Sorry Sir" said Draco regaining himself "But do you know what happening?"

"I suggest you read the note on the kitchen bench Draco" Snape said dryly.

Immediately Ginny, Susan and Draco all turned on heel and sprinted back to the kitchen, tripping over each others robes as they went. They were followed by a disdainful Snape. Ginny got there first and grabbed it. It was in a yellow parchment envelope with the Hogwarts seal on it.

"I can't believe we missed this!" said Ginny as she ripped it open. Ginny, Draco and Susan all leaned in to read what it said.

_Dear Miss Weasley, Miss Bones and Mr Malfoy _

That was Dumbledore's loopy handwriting for sure

_It will doubtlessly have come to your attention that over the past weeks the wizarding community at large is currently in terrible peril from Lord Voldemort. The threat grows daily and the death toll mounts. The three of you are in particular danger however, more so then perhaps anyone else in the wizarding community, expect myself and Mr Potter. Draco as someone who knows too much about the Dark Side, Susan as the last member of the Bones family and Ginny as the close friend of Harry Potter, all three of you are in very high danger, worse perhaps then the members of the Order of the Phoenix. However they, unlike you, are adults and asked for that responsibility. Yours was thrust upon you. _

_You have been placed on this island for your own protection until the danger has passed. I realise you will all be exceedingly angry with me but I hope in time you will understand why I have done this. _

_Mrs. Weasley was quite insistent all her children go but as they are all of age, she could not make them. She apologises to you Ginny and hopes one day you will understand, though expects you won't._

_To Susan and Draco: although you are both of age the Order has discovered two murder plots set up by Death Eaters, one for each of you, that were meant to commence this week. Under the circumstances I put your personal responsibility aside and did what I thought was best. Please forgive me._

_Prof. Snape is your minder while you stay on the island. _

_Please do not try to apparate or disapperate while on the island as I have made it impossible to do so and it will result in much agony for you._

_You were all put to sleep with a simple but strong sleeping draught, the side effects of which include sleep walking. I apologise if any of you experienced this. _

_Feel free to use any of the muggle appliances in the house. The instruction manual is on the coffee table, though I doubt you'll find it much help; I didn't. _

_Once more, my sincerest apologies_

_- Albus Dumbledore. _

Ginny, Draco and Susan were all silent for a moment while they processed this information. They then burst out in unanimous protests, mostly directed at Snape.

"We're not kids you know-"

"I've fought Voldemort before, I'll do it again-"

"-if he takes over we're going to have to fight him anyway eventually-"

"You're not my parents"

"I'll kill my mother!"

"I can't believe Dumbledore would do this"

"Who else knew" Ginny asked Snape in a fashion so venomous it demanded an immediate answer.

"I'm sorry?"

"Who else knew I was going to be abducted and sent to live on an island? Did Ron or Harry?"

"No, neither of them knew, just your parents and Dumbledore. Your brother and Potter along with Granger are out doing something doubtlessly very heroic to defeat the Dark Lord"

"And I should be with them!" Ginny shouted frustrated

"Fuck this shit, I'm off." Draco said preparing to disapparate.

"No Draco!" said Snape finally losing his cool "You'll be splinched and that's not something I can easily fix"

"Then I'll…" he gazed around the batch looking for a fireplace or broomstick

"No way put I'm afraid" Snape said regaining his disinterested manner. Draco looked as though he might hit Snape, but Snapes hand was resting on his wand threateningly and if it came to a duel Draco knew he had no chance.

"Fine then, I'll swim" Draco said and shot off out of the doorway, down towards the beach, obviously not knowing how crazy he sounded.

"Aren't you going to stop him?" Susan asked Snape

"If he tries to swim he won't get far"

"Yes but he might die!" Susan said shocked

"That" said Snape coldly "is his look out"

Ginny and Susan looked at each other, neither knowing what to do they ran down to the beach after Draco. Draco was swimming in his boxer shorts, robes ditched on the sand. He looked a fair way out but the water was still only up to his thighs. There weren't any waves; it seemed to be a lagoon type of beach.

"Snape's right, he won't get very far" Susan said grimly

"How can you be sure?" Ginny asked

"Look" Susan pointed to the horizon "See those waves all the way out there? It's like we're in a lagoon or a coral reef that ends properly out there. Those waves might not look big from here, but there'll be no way past them without a jet ski. Unless Draco knows how to transfigure coconuts into jet skis he'll never make it. Might kill himself trying though" Susan added.

"That might not be so bad really" Ginny said. She caught Susan's eye and they both laughed before sitting down on the sand. Ginny pulled her shoes off. How on earth did she get shoes on? She certainly hadn't been wearing any when she'd fallen asleep.

"I can't believe this you know. It's so out of character for Dumbledore to this to us. Usually he's all for letting kids step up and take responsibility. Look at how he let Harry face Voldemort all those times!" Ginny said digging her toes into the golden sand.

"Yeah you're right. Me and Draco are of age too. And Draco's hardly some innocent child is he? I think Dumbledore's changed a lot over the past few months though. So many deaths in such a short space of time…he's willing to throw his beliefs out the window if it means he can save a few more lives." Susan said sensibly. Ginny felt a pang of guilt. Susan's relatives had been some of those killed in the last month or two. Ginny didn't know what to say so she changed the subject.

"Yeah maybe…What rubbish about Snape being here to protect us though. He's probably in more danger then all three of us. I heard Voldemort personally wants to finish him off. " '_Oh shit!' _thought Ginny as soon as she'd spoken '_I just brought up death again!'_

"Wow" said Susan sounding vaguely impressed

"And he's not of any use to the Order anymore…I bet Dumbledore sent him here just to get him out of their hair"

"Quite likely I suppose" Susan said mildly. There was a pause in conversation before Ginny snapped and blurted out:

"Oh I just can't believe my mother would do this to me! She knows I'm not one to sit on the sidelines. She still sees me as some helpless 11 year old." She sounded annoyed

"She cares about you that's all. Chill out." Susan said

"Chill out?" Ginny questioned, never having heard the muggle slang before

"Yeah, relax! I got it off my muggle second cousin."

"We could be here for years though…"

"I doubt that. Just until your mum misses you too much"

"Yeah, or Harry finds out. He'll go ballistic!" Ginny smiled thinking about Harry's reaction. He'd be the only one who could possibly understand how much being stuck on an island unable to help anyone would irk Ginny. Ginny sighed a little thinking about Harry. She knew it was a cliché but they really were so right for each other. Too bad about the timing.

"What's going on with you two anyway? Still going out?" Susan asked, clearly not as up on gossip as Lavender Brown or Parvati Patil

"No it was too risky. Voldemort would probably use me to get to Harry if we went out."

"But you still like each other?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, yes." Ginny said. She remembered back to Bill and Fleur's wedding. It had been weird at first, neither of them really looking each other in the eye, perhaps afraid of what they'd see there. But when they were sitting next to each other at the Wedding Dinner they began to speak and it was just like it had always been. Talking to Harry was so natural and easy, both of them cracking jokes about Ron's frilly dress robes (the one's the twins had given him had mysteriously gone missing the previous day). It was then that Ginny realised that even though she was only 16 she'd be perfectly happy to never date another boy apart from Harry. That thought had scared the shit out of her.

"What about you, how's your love life?" Ginny asked Susan, realising she barely knew the name of any of Susan's friends.

"Well I broke up with Justin just before last Easter. Going out with him was a stupid idea in the first place; we'd been friends for too long, it was just a bit too weird. I think we really only started going out because Ernie and Hannah were and it seemed like such a nice idea…silly in retrospect."

"Yeah I see what you mean"

"Sometimes dating friends can work though, like your brother and Hermione Granger" Susan added thoughtfully

"Oh they aren't going out" Ginny said quickly, perhaps a little defensively.

"Oh sorry I didn't mean to offend you or anything"

"No, it's just…I want them to, me and Harry both do and it's so obvious it's going to happen soon. But I don't…well I don't want to lose my brother _or_ my friend."

"I doubt that'll happen" laughed Susan.

The two of them kept talking for an hour or so, all the while watching Draco's futile attempts to make it past the breakers. Susan had a way of putting people at their ease and Ginny found herself opening up quite a lot considering she only just properly met Susan. Eventually Draco emerged from the water, coral cuts all up is chest and back, the blood dripping down his milky white skin. He pulled out his wand and healed the cuts soundlessly.

"Might I ask you whether you're both just resigned to staying on this forsaken island for the rest of your lives?" he asked them angrily as he pulled his robes on. Ginny couldn't see why he bothered- it had to be about 30 degrees.

"Well it's just there doesn't seem to be too many ways off" Susan pointed out. Draco thought about this and quickly recovered.

"We'll build a raft!" he said. Ginny and Susan exchanged looked.

"I think the salt water's gone to your brain Malfoy"

"No it'll work, trust me" he said "Acio- acio- acio!" he began to summon bits of wood and palm leaves to himself and began the process of building a raft. The main problem was that Draco had no experience with boat building and no idea what he was doing. The raft looked more like a mangled tree hut.

"Face it, we're screwed. Might as well enjoy it" said Susan stretching back on the sand.

"Come on, let's go see if there's any alcohol up at the house, I think I'm going to need some soon" Ginny said.

The girls left Draco magically bonding a palm frond to a coconut.

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I'd love reviews! Always good to hear what people think. 


	3. Chapter 3

Up at the house the girls went on a fruitless search for alcohol.

"I can't believe I'm stuck on an island with Draco-sodding-Malfoy _and _there's no alcohol!" Ginny said as she slumped onto the couch defeated

"Yeah, he is a bit up himself isn't he?" Susan said mildly

"A bit up himself? He's a completely arrogant moron!"

"Yes but it's not completely his fault is it? He was brought up one way, we were brought up another" the empathic Hufflepuff in Susan was clearly showing

"But he had choices! We all did"

"Yes and he chose not to kill Dumbledore, but to turn his back on his friends and family and join the good side. That must have been difficult for him" Susan pointed out. Ginny couldn't think of anything else to say so she said nothing but still privately despised Draco Malfoy.

"I wonder where Snape is" Susan asked casting a glance down the hallway door.

"Sulking in his room probably" Ginny answered. She looked around the room for something to amuse her. Her eyes landed almost immediately upon the television and she suggested to Susan that they try to work it. Ginny had no idea what to do, but Susan, who had a muggle second cousin, new some of the rudiments.

"There are like these pictures that are meant to come up" Susan said tapping the TV with her wand "But you need this sort of plastic wand with buttons on it first"

"Ok," said Ginny "Is this it?"

"No, that's an electric eggbeater"

"Oh ha-ha…" laughed Ginny prodding the eggbeater excitedly. Susan laughed too, though more at Ginny's amusement then at the actual eggbeater.

"Maybe it's this- yes!" Susan had successfully turned the TV on. There was a man telling the news in Korean.

"What a waste of time" Ginny said

"No, you can get other ones too. It'll be one of these buttons…" Susan pressed all the buttons at once and the screen became snowy and made loud buzzing noise "Ok, yup maybe it's best to give it a rest for a while…" Susan said. She pressed all the buttons again until it turned off.

Disappointed Susan sat down and ran her hands through her hair.

"Wonder if Draco's had any luck" Ginny asked

"Probably stabbed himself in the foot with the pointy end of a coconut" Susan answered

Ginny laughed "Coconut's don't have pointy ends"

"I'm sure he'll have managed it somehow" joked Susan. They lapsed into silence for a second then Ginny's stomach gave an audible rumble. They looked at each other and giggled.

"What time is it anyway? I'm starving. Where's a house-elves when you need one?" Ginny asked

"It's almost 1 o'clock, let's make lunch."

Using a mixture of magical cooking techniques and muggle appliances they managed to make some very bad bacon and eggs.

"Hey on the bright side we might lose weight if we stay here, because if Snape and Draco can't cook either, we'll either starve or…"

"Starve?" suggested Susan

"Ha-ha, yeah probably"

"Maybe Snape can cook though; I mean he is a Potion's Master so he can follow recipes. Perhaps he'll be our own personal chief" Susan as she chewed a large mouthful of burnt bacon

"Doubtful! But you have a point about him being a Potion's Master"

After their lunch Ginny's anger about being ditched on an island with Draco Malfoy had somewhat subsided and the girls began to discuss escape plans.

"Ok, so we can't Floo, disapparate, fly or swim…what about a Portkey?" Ginny asked triumphantly

"Do you know how to make one?" Susan replied

"No but I bet Snape will! We could try to force him to make us one"

"How; he could duel all three of us, what are we going to do, peer pressure him into it?" Susan said making Ginny giggle. Susan was really quite amusing when you talked to her Ginny decided. She'd always seemed popular amongst her Hufflepuff comrades, but tended to be quiet around large crowds of Gryffindors or Slytherins.

"Well do you have any bright ideas?" Ginny questioned

"Yeah, let's go for a swim!"

"How can you swim when there are Death Eaters taking over-"

"Look Ginny," Susan said cutting her off mid-sentence "there is nothing we can do about that from where we are now. It sucks but it's a fact so we might as well have fun while we're here. I'm sure Harry will have saved you a dozen Death Eaters to finish off when we get back"

Ginny eventually let herself be persuaded upon to go swimming. Her bathing suit (along with most of her summer clothes) was in her trunk in the room she'd found Susan in. The girls changed quickly and walked back down the path towards the beach. Draco was still working no his raft which now looked like a bizarre sort of floating arm chair made from drift wood and coconuts.

"You know that's not going to float Draco" Susan said to him as they walked past, stopping for a moment to examine the monstrosity.

"Yes it will"

"And then what Malfoy? Land could be miles off" Ginny said

"I just need to get far out enough to apparate home"

"But it's not safe to apparate such long distances!" Susan said worried

"I'll risk it" Draco was clearly a man possessed.

The water was deliciously warm, bath temperature almost. There were no waves and it was much like being in a public pool except for occasional schools of multi-coloured fish.

"Oh I wish I had those glasses that muggles use to see underwater with" Susan said. Ginny shook her head in agreement.

After swimming round lazily for a bit they went back up to the house to have showers, Draco still working on his contraption.

"What time is it?" Ginny asked yawning "I'm tired as hell"

"It's only 7.00" Susan answered looking at the clock on the wall. She adjusted her own watch which was still reading British time "I'm tired too though, eventful say I suppose. Do you want to go to bed now?"

"Yeah sure"

They had a quick dinner of sandwiches and tropical fruit (most of which Ginny didn't recognise) and retired to bed. Once in bed however they discussed all the days events in minute detail and some of Ginny's anger resurfaced.

"I can't believe my parents would do this to me, it's just so frustrating"

"Seriously Ginny, they only did it 'cause they care. You're lucky to have them looking out for you." Ginny was about to open her mouth and argue the point when she remembered how Susan had no parents to look out for her. She promptly shut her mouth.

The sun was still up when they stopped chatting. Ginny was too hot and couldn't sleep despite the fact she only had her summer nightclothes and a sheet covering her. She turned over on her side and looked at Susan, fast asleep, long brown hair over her face. Susan hardly seemed depressed about the deaths of her family members or if she was she sure didn't show it. Ginny sighed and lay back. It sure had been a long day.

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I would really love it if you'd take the time to review, love or hate it! I've spent a lot of time and feed back would be greatful accepted. 


	4. Chapter 4

The next day the girls woke with the sun, which streamed in through the window, pouring itself into every corner of the room. They changed and went down to the kitchen to find Draco already awake. He was eyeing the muggle appliances suspiciously, choosing to make his toast the magical way instead.

"You know these are here for a reason, it wouldn't kill you to try something new Malfoy" Ginny spat at him, even though she herself had behaved in almost exactly the same way the previous day making lunch.

"If I want your advice Weasel, I'll ask for it"

"Don't speak to me like that Draco! We're not at Hogwarts anymore and there's no Crabbe or Goyle here to protect you so-"

"And no Potter to protect you either Weasley so you better watch it or-"

Ginny had just opened her mouth to retort, but Susan cut her off.

"Hey guys I think we should dedicate today to trying to figure out how all the stuff in the house works, you know all the muggle things. We're all a bit hopeless I'm afraid" she said, heading off any further arguments. She was tired of Draco and Ginny's constant bickering and this would at least give them something to keep them occupied.

"Sure sounds like a good idea. I'll join in. I'm sure Draco will too if he's done with that…raft thing." Draco said nothing, so they assumed he'd given up on it.

"Ok" said Susan after they'd breakfasted "First things first, the instruction manual! What do we most want to learn how to work?" Draco said nothing and looked sulky.

"The picture box thing!" Ginny said brightly

"The T.V, that's what the muggles call it. Ok, we'll need that wand thing again, we got it on last time, it must be this red button. Right, that's something!"

They spent the rest of the morning learning how to change channel on the T.V, work the toaster and they'd almost gotten the hang of a microwave. '_Not bad for three purebloods' _Ginny thought. Even Draco couldn't help be slightly intrigued by the television.

"You know these muggles, they're not completely useless after all" he commented as Susan flicked from Dr Phil to CartoonNetwork. They were so excited they didn't stay with one channel for more then a minute. For lunch they had more toast, made the muggle way this time and a microwave meal from the freezer each, just to test if they were working the microwave correctly.

"Wow!" Draco said again as he pulled back a plastic covering to reveal a very unappetizing looking curry and rice "That's amazing! Like magic almost"

"God you sound like my father" Ginny said scathingly. With this Draco quickly remembered himself and straightened up, but Ginny still caught him giving the microwave astounded glances.

A few minutes later, while Ginny and Susan were examining the DVD rack they heard an explosion from the kitchen and turned their heads to see what had happened. Draco was standing by the microwave looking simultaneously shocked and ashamed.

"What'd you do?" Susan asked

"I, I put an apple in there. I thought it would make baked apple pie…"

Susan and Ginny laughed and Draco replaced the ashamed look with one of anger.

"What?" he yelled

"It just heats things up Draco, it doesn't transfigure them"

"Oh" he said calming down. He opened the microwave and used a scouring charm to clean off the apple, which was everywhere inside.

"Come help us work out the DVD's" Ginny said kindly. Draco was, even she had to admit, much more human away from the audience of his Slytherin cronies, though she still didn't trust him at all.

They were most proud that by the end of the day, with only the help of an instruction manual, they'd manage to work out how to use most of the muggle things in the house. They'd leave the computer for another day. To reward themselves they went down to the beach as the sun was setting. Draco made a fool of himself doing handstands in the water while Ginny and Susan laughed from the shallows.

"I never did go to the seaside much as a child" he yelled to them between dives "This is the first time I've swam at a beach in ages" It was easy to tell that was true.

"You know you're right" Ginny said quietly to Susan "He's still a prat and a Slytherin git, but it's not completely his fault. His parents are really to blame"

"Yes well, it's hard to think that that-" she gestured to Draco who was leaping about like a rabid dog "-is some sort of right hand man of evil isn't it?"

Ginny laughed "Yes, I suppose it is"

The following day they decided to walk around the edge of the island. It took them the best part of the day. Mostly it was just more sand, but in some places the sand gave way to large black rocks. The vegetation remained similar the whole way. Much to Draco's relief they didn't encounter any wild cannibalistic natives either.

"Let's have a rest here for a bit" Ginny suggested as they reached another stretch of white gold sand, much the same as every other beach on the island. The three of them fell down on the sand, exhausted from walking so far in the heat. Draco had plastered his sweaty t-shirt over his head like an Arab. His skin was turning pink and Ginny knew he'd be burning. She didn't feel sufficiently well disposed towards him just yet to point this out, but made sure to perform a sunscreening charm on herself. Her own top was sticking to her back most uncomfortably. Susan performed the 'agumenti' charm and took a long drink of water from her wand. She rested her hand on her hips and looked out towards the horizon.

"I think the island's kind of shaped like this" Susan said after her drink, standing up to draw a picture of what she thought the island looked like in the sand. "Here's that first bay we went past, here's that rocky outcrop bit and here's our beach…"

"That looks about right. I wonder what it's like inland." Ginny asked casually

"We should go look at that tomorrow!" Susan said

Oh, why bother?" said Draco trying to sound natural. Ginny and Susan exchanged glances. It was clear to both of them Draco was afraid of forests.

They continued walking around the island, Ginny and Susan talking all the way, until they were back at their beach. Draco had walked with them but didn't seem ready to join in their conversations just yet. Back at the house they put on a DVD of _Friends. _

"Six muggle roommates living in New York city?" Draco asked skeptically as he looked at the back of the DVD. "This sounds like utter crap."

"Give it a try, it might be ok" Susan said fairly. And to their surprise it really was. Even Draco was laughing by the end of it.

"These Muggles, they're complete imbeciles!" he said wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. Soon after this Susan announced it was time for bed. They hadn't seen Snape all day, much to Ginny's delight.

Three weeks later

It was hard for Ginny to believe that it had only been three weeks since her arrival on the island, considering how much had changed. The most noticeable changes had been in Draco. The former cold intelligence and vindictive sarcasm had been replaced by humour and foolishness.

He'd warmed up to Ginny and Susan and now joked with them like they'd all been friends for years. Ginny and Susan too, were now very close friends. Ginny was the sort of girl who, under normal circumstances, had many good friends, but no real best friend. It was as if Susan was suddenly her best friend. Even Hermione, who she'd lived with for months on end during the holidays, had never managed to achieve this status.

Perhaps it was because although Ginny liked Hermione, they didn't have that much in common, except Harry and Ron. Studious, serious Hermione, was hardly the type of person Ginny would have befriended if it weren't for the boys.

Susan was much more like Ginny in many ways. She loved to laugh and joke. But where Ginny jumped to conclusions and got angry, Susan was sensible and forgiving. She made up for Ginny's fiery temper with her own calm one. Each night before they went to sleep they'd discuss so much, Ginny felt like knew about as much about Susan as she did about some of the girls who'd shared her dormitory for 5 years.

The main problem about life on the island was the boredom. There was, after you'd explored everywhere, very little to do. The three of them had gotten into a routine; wake up, get breakfast, go for a morning swim, come back to the house and read until lunchtime, go for a afternoon walk (often followed by a swim to cool off), come home and watch DVD's while drinking afternoon cocktails (they'd finally found some alcohol; there was a whole chest of it hidden on top of the bookcase), one of them would cook dinner and then they would go for another swim or play cards in the evening. All in all Ginny felt like she went swimming an awful lot. Her freckles were more noticeable then ever. Susan had become tanned and Draco just went red and peeled. Their days were dull indeed. She was very glad of her afternoon cocktails (which often morphed into evening cocktails) to keep her mildly amused. She was thinking of Harry less and less. Everything about her old life was becoming slightly distant, it felt like they'd been on the island for their whole lives; just the three of them and Snape who seemed to never leave his room.

"Come on girls, let's go for our swim!" Draco said one morning after breakfast

"Oh yes, that'll make a nice change" Ginny said sarcastically. Occasionally they would speak only in snobby accents or pretend to be pirates for hours on end, just to make their days a little more interesting. It was that bad really, not as if they were being tortured or anything, it was just so very boring. This was accentuated by the fact they were all teenagers who loved socializing.

"Hush you!" said Draco flicking Ginny's bum with his rolled up towel. Sometimes she wondered whether he might be gay, or if the camp-ness was just for laughs.

"Ok, sunscreen charm on? Let's go" Susan said.

Down at the beach Ginny and Draco threw about a coconut in the water, pretending to be playing Quidditch. Susan lay on the beach reading a paper back book. Ginny looked at her body, all stretched out on a towel and couldn't help noting the differences between that and her own. Ginny was athletic, all muscles and bones. Susan was sort of rounded everywhere, not in a chubby way though. Ginny thought she looked like a classical 1930's film star, tiny waist and beautiful wide hips. If she were a boy, Ginny thought to herself, she would rather fancy Susan's body as being hot.

"Watch out Ginny!" Draco shouted as the coconut landed inches to the left of her "That just about hit you! Goes to show they let anyone on the Gryffindor team these days, even people with no concentration." He teased.

"Sod of Draco, how many times did we win the league? And how many times did you? What was that? A big fat zero, wasn't it?" Ginny shouted back.

"Oh you shall pay for that one, you carrot-top weasel face!" Draco jabbered. Ginny laughed, partly at the ridiculousness of what he'd said and partly at the fact that a month ago he was calling her 'Weasel' as a put down, but now he called her it in an endearing way. After a brief slap fight (which Ginny won hands down) they got out of water and sat themselves beside Susan.

"You know guys, I'm glad I got forced to come here" Draco said quite out of the blue.

"Really, why's that?" Susan asked mildly interested

"It's like I've become myself again. I haven't been myself properly since I was 10 years old."

"You mean you were like this as a kid? With the psyco-ness and the…flamboyance?" Ginny asked trying to phrase her question as politely as possible.

"Yeah, father wasn't too happy but mum thought I was hilarious running round the Manor with a towel draped around my shoulders and a walking stick in my hand. I used to put on plays for them and be every character at once."

"God, I'd of liked to have seen that"

"Yeah, well then when I was going to Hogwarts father told me about how every Malfoy got put in Slytherin, and how I couldn't behave foolishly at school. And so I put on this sort of, veneer. I was cool, calm, intelligent and confident. But inside I was the opposite; I had to swat so much to pass the O.W.L's it's not funny, and I got totally panic stricken every time Harry Potter and his little mod-squad –no offence Ginny- came over to harass me."

"You were scared of Harry?" Ginny asked in disbelief

"Oh yeah, terrified. He was so perfect; everyone liked him, and he was a natural on the Quidditch pitch. And he had those loyal friends" Draco said with an envious whine "All I had were body guards. Well actually Crabbe and Goyle aren't that bad, but they're as thick as broomstick handles. Harry was all the things I was pretending to be, and I was so scared that one day someone would notice and point it out. "Draco said quietly. Ginny didn't know what to say; this was all news to her. She had no idea what to say.

"Of course after a while when one pretends to be something, one become it. I was pretending to be Draco Malfoy, hater of Mudbloods, Slytherin prefect, poster boy for the Dark Side etcetera... And eventually I just was. It was all such an effort at first, back in first and second year to think of horrid things to say. But after a while I didn't even have to think anymore. I was becoming the character that at first I was only acting. And that thought terrified the shit out of me. That's why I was such a mess this past year; I had been given the task of killing Dumbledore, which I knew I couldn't do. I didn't know who I was. Boy Draco wanted to run away and hide under a table until the whole mess blew over. Death Eater Draco wanted to kill Dumbledore and be rewarded by the Dark Lord. And I think a part of me wanted to kill Dumbledore just so I'd be accepted by the other Death Eaters. I think that's the real reason Dumbledore sent me here, no to keep me safe, but to allow me time to find myself. "

"He's a smart guy that Dumbledore" Susan said. Ginny smiled at Draco and patted him on the back. He smiled back weakly. It was so unusual to see someone bare their soul like that.

They sat the rest of the morning down on the beach, none of them talking much, just glad to be there.

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Thanks so much for the review Argonith, it's so great to know someone's reading and liked it enough to review. You might be a bit disappointed with it goes from here; deep into the murky realms of fanon. I have it all planned out quite well though (for a change :p ) so please keep reading! 


	5. Chapter 5

Island5

Having worked their way through the entire series of _'Friends'_, Draco, Susan and Ginny had now taken to watching movies. There was an entire bookshelf full, so it wasn't as if they were going to run out anytime soon. Some were new, while others were classics. The girl's favourite was one called _'Breakfast at Tiffany's'_, while Draco's was '_The Wizard of Oz'_, which the Ginny found very amusing One evening they were watching a modern movie, one about gay cowboys, when Snape emerged from his room. They were all quite surprised as they'd only seen him maybe half a dozen times so far, even though they'd been on the island for a month or so. He looked grumpy and pale; clearly he wasn't enjoying the sunlight as much as they were.

"Hello Professor" Susan said, venturing at civility. Snape merely grunted, walked over to the kitchen, and began making himself a drink in silence. The movie continued to play. It was unfortunate timing that at that moment one of the gay cowboys began kissing the other. Ginny looked from Snape to the television, noting the look of complete disgust on his face. She, Draco and Susan all shared a glance of 'Oh fuck', as they knew he was about to blow.

"What is this muggle –_filth_- that you're watching!" he demanded angrily. Neither Ginny nor Susan dared answer, but Draco said;

"It's called Brokeback Mountain" in a cheery, helpful voice that managed broke then tension that had been brewing ever since Snape had walked into the room. The girls collapsed in fits of giggles. Draco asked them what was so funny.

"Honestly Draco, I expected more from you." Snape said angrily, picking up his cup of coffee and heading for the door "Indulging in such immoral behaviour. Those two men are clearly buggers!" this description of gay men caused another burst of laughter from the girls. Eventually Susan had recovered enough to say in a deadly serious voice;

"But Professor Snape, surely you noticed, Ginny and I are lovers" she placed her hand over Ginny's and looked intensely up at Snape

"What, is this true Weasley?" Snape asked dumbfounded. Ginny decided to join in the fun.

"Oh yeah, definitely; we're very much in love" Ginny said, placing her space arm around Susan. If it weren't for Draco falling into a fit of laughter, Snape would have brought the whole thing, hook, line and sinker. Realising they were taking the piss of him; he turned on heel and promptly left, slamming the hall door shut behind him.

"Oh guys, that was classic" Draco said laughing "He totally believed you there for a second"

"Yeah you could tell eh. We should always act really lesbian around him when he comes out of his room. It'll be hilarious" Susan said. They skipped back to the scene that Snape had interrupted and proceeded to watch the rest of the movie.

The next morning they were at the beach yet again. Ginny was feeling bloated from all the junk food she'd eaten the previous night. She reckoned she could just about see where each cauldron cake and liquorish wand was sitting inside her stomach. Draco had eaten more then her though, and he was rake thin as usual. Ginny turned to look at Susan. She felt something strange tug at her mind as she looked_ 'Jealousy probably,' _she concluded to herself _'Damn Susan and her prefect flat stomach'. _Though she wasn't quite sure was she was jealous, when normally she couldn't of cared less how she shaped up compared to other girls.

That evening they made cocktails, as per usual, but decided to spice things up by making it a toga cocktail party. There were spare sheets in the hall cupboard that they could use for togas. Draco had gotten the idea after watching _'Gladiator'_.

Draco stayed in the kitchen tying his toga, while the girls went into their bedroom. Ginny couldn't help noticing once again how Susan looked as she stripped into just her underwear to put on her toga. Suddenly the thought, '_Well, _s_he is pretty hot'_ sprung, completely unbidden into Ginny's mind. She was startled. _'You're only meant to think that about guys Ginny!'_ she told herself sternly, and she quickly turned back to face the wall. Ginny decided not to pay Susan too much attention during the rest of the evening, which was rather a difficult task considering she was confided to the society of two people only. She couldn't keep it up long, and soon she was laughing and joking with Susan as she always did. She tried not to think about those weird thoughts that had come into her mind earlier.

However in bed that night she could hardly think of anything else. She analysed it for a good hour or so. Why had that thought come into her mind? She concluded that the server lack of boys on the island (excluding Draco Malfoy, who she could never ever fancy in _that_ way) had lead her to let out her sexual frustrations in another way. It probably didn't mean anything, and now she knew it was there, she could keep it in check. _'Oh if only Draco was a bit better looking. And a bit more mature. And a bit more tanned. Then I could fancy him and I wouldn't even have this problem!'_ Ginny thought as she rolled onto her back. Not that it was a problem. Now she knew, she had nothing to worry about and it would go away as fast as it had come.

But it didn't go away. Over the next few days in fact, it got worse if anything. Ginny went from deciding it was nothing at all, to deciding it was simply a girl-crush; the kind of crush you got on another girl when you admired and wanted to be like her (nothing sexual at all). But the trouble was Ginny didn't want to be like Susan; she wanted to be with her, laughing or talking. Ginny thought about Harry. That was a lot simpler. Ginny knew for sure that she fancied boys, she was 100 sure of that.

Then there were the girls. At first Ginny decided she couldn't fancy girls, because if she did, she would have already done so before now. And of course she hadn't, had she? Remembering back she realised this wasn't entirely true. She'd been so busy with Harry the past year; she'd not had eyes for anyone else. But before that, she realised, she had looked at girls in a different way occasionally. There was that girl from Beaubatons, who'd been at the Yule Ball in her third year. She remembered looking at her dancing so gracefully and whishing she was with her, not Neville. At the time though, she'd put that down to Neville's bad dancing; enough to make anyone wish they were with a better partner. And there was that pretty waitress who worked at Madam Puddifoots. Ginny had been in there with Dean once and she was angry when she caught him staring at her, but after she'd turned around and seen the girl for herself, her anger vanished and she thought that it was understandable really, she was awfully good looking after all. In fact the more Ginny thought about it the more she realised that she'd thought girls were hot before now. But she'd just never realised what it meant, because one could appreciate when someone of their gender was pretty without it being anything weird. Ginny often thought that Hermione looked pretty if she tired her hair up or that her friends looked pretty. But that was different somehow to how she'd looked at the girl in Madam Puddifoots. It was so much more platonic. More like appraising a pretty piece of furniture or a nice dress. The other way was similar to how she looked at boys.

What made things worse was that as there were only the three of them, so Ginny could never really escape Susan's company, unless she went for a solitary walk. If they'd been at Hogwarts she would have been able to be distracted by the hundreds of other students, and doubtlessly would have been over this little –she hardly wanted to call it a crush, but she supposed that's what it was- in no time at all. She had to see Susan every second of the day, always laughing, lively and engaging. Ginny wondered if Susan really even had any faults, or whether she was just blind to them. She supposed they must be there. Perhaps she was insecure or depressed on the inside, though she didn't look it at all.

One day Ginny was walking up the beach, in a rare Susan free moment. It was just her and Draco, Susan having decided to clean the pantry out (it was a something different to do at least). Ginny wondered if Draco knew any of her thoughts about Susan. She didn't think he possibly could; she hardly knew them herself.

"Draco" Ginny asked as they walked "Do you think Dumbledore sent me and Susan here for a reason too? Like, other then to keep us safe?"

Draco pondered his answer while dragging a long stick behind him in the sand "I don't know. Perhaps to help me become a better person". Despite being less of a prat, Draco was thing quite egocentric, it was therefore unsurprising he'd relate the reason back to himself. Ginny sighed, her question still unanswered.

"What, do you think he sent you here for a certain purpose too?" Draco asked as he prodded a scuttling crab with his stick. Ginny took a moment to reply before she said;

"No, I suppose not"

When they arrived back at the house Susan was still cleaning. She had her hair pulled up in a messy bun on her head, tank top and a loose skirt on. She looked casual and messy, but she couldn't have looked better if she tried. Ginny remembered something she had to do in her room and went off.

"What have you done to piss her off Draco?" Susan asked after Ginny's hasty departure.

"Nothing!" said Draco defensively. "We were just talking about why she got sent here and she got all emotional on it. Probably her time of the month or something. Maybe she's pissed off with you, ever consider that?"

Susan however continued to think Draco must have done something to piss her off, while Draco thought the same about Susan.


	6. Chapter 6

Island6

The next day Ginny snapped out of her mood. She didn't mean to. She had in fact intended it to last for a lot longer. But Susan always put her in a good mood, and Draco was as funny as ever.

"What I don't get," Draco said at breakfast as he slopped milk and cornflakes down his front "Is why Snape stays shut up in his room all day. I mean what's he doing in there?"

"Being a creep" Ginny suggested. Susan laughed

"Well you can sort of understand it can't you? He'd hardly want to hangout with us."

"Oh I'd want to hangout with _you _any day Susan" said Ginny in a fake sleazy voice, though the sentiment was hardly as made up.

"Would you two cut it out?" Draco said, milk dribbling down his chin "That's enough to put me off my cereal!"

"Have you looked in a mirror this morning?" Susan asked dryly "'Cause that'd probably put you off eating too"

Draco hastily wiped away the excess milk on his chin with a fist full of table cloth. "Oh that's real nice Susan, real friendly" Draco said in a thoroughly hurt tone of voice.

"Well gosh, you insulted my relationship" Susan said sounding equally as hurt. She and Draco both pretended to be offended with one another until they caught the others eye and cracked up laughing.

"Don't worry Ginny my love, as if anyone could possibly put me off you" Susan said, dramatically clutching at Ginny's hand. Ginny laughed, but inside she was squirming.

At the beach that day they all sat reading, propped up against a large coconut tree. Ginny tried not to be distracted from her book. She tried not to think about how close Susan was to her, or how brown her mid drift was. She tried not to look in that direction at all. She looked back at her book, an old muggle work about girls from the 18th century. Ginny couldn't help feeling that in comparison to her life, there troubles were positively inconsequential. Susan gave a large yawn which startled Ginny from her thoughts. She leaned her head onto Ginny's shoulder. It was something girls did all the time. It was no big thing. Ginny hoped Susan didn't notice how fast she'd started to breathe.

It was just as bad after tea. Susan seemed to think nothing of stretching out her legs onto Ginny lap while they were sitting on the couch watching TV. Ginny tried to remember if Susan had always been this way, or whether it was a recent development, but she couldn't quite recall. Susan wasn't as touchy with Draco, but then again he was a boy.

That night Ginny lay awake at night looking out the window. Several palm trees were silhouetted against the blackening sky. She almost laughed as she thought about how much she had longed to go on holiday to a tropical island when she was younger. It was a classic case of being careful what you wish for. She thought about Susan. She found herself doing that a lot these days.

'_This is so silly.' _Ginny thought to herself_ 'I don't even know how I feel about her myself. What do I want to happen? A declaration of love? God this is strange.'_ And it truly was. Ginny didn't know what she wanted. She knew wanted to touch Susan's hips. She didn't know what from there though. She tried to imagine kissing another girl. Again, it was strange. She hadn't even thought about anything beyond that.

After much tossing and turning she decided to just go with the flow and see how things worked out. It seemed to be what Susan was doing. Either that or it all actually was just a joke to Susan; she wished she knew which. She promised herself she'd think no more on the topic. Or at least stop analysing each detail as much as she had been.

The next day Ginny but her plan into action. It worked perfectly. She didn't think twice about Susan sitting on her lap because Draco had accidentally transfigured the sofa into a giant jelly and couldn't work out how to turn it back, leaving only one armchair available. They continued their jokes and innuendo, and made fun of Draco. They even had a long serious conversation about houses.

"See," said Draco as he lay sprawled across Ginny's bed in his boxer shorts and a t-shirt, swigging back his third vodka and orange "Being Slytherin was sort of like being a member of some secret, fashionable society that gets persecuted all the time. Because it was pretty much every other house against Slytherin wasn't it? And we all thought we were such hot shit, you've no idea. And Snape was totally on our side. I think we all secretly loved it."

"What, having every other house hate your guts?" Ginny asked. She was sitting on the floor leaning against her wardrobe.

"Yeah, it built a sense of camaraderie. Besides, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs didn't hate our guts, well only some of the time anyway. The rest of the time they were bitching about you Gryffindor glory boys, isn't that right Susan?" Draco asked laughing. From over on her bed, Susan gave him a look.

"Rock- hard place" she said pointing at Ginny and Draco in turn. "But I guess in a way…it was worst during the Tri Wizard tournament. Gryffindors don't understand what it's like to have to be around Gryffindors all the time" Susan said. Ginny was tipsy and had to think about this for a while before she got what Susan meant.

"But didn't you like being a Hufflepuff?" she asked Susan

"Oh yes, I loved it. We just had such a good time. Everyone else from the other houses seemed to be so bitchy and gossipy compared to us. In Hufflepuff we all just sort of hung out. And there's no pressure to perform like there is in other houses. You could just be yourself. I expect you would have loved it Draco."

"I expect I would of" Draco said, not quite sober enough to keep the bitterness from his voice.

"What was it like in Gryffindor anyway Ginny? It always looked very glamorous, let me assure you."

"Nah, it was just sort of…normal I guess. I guess, I didn't think this at the time, but I think Gryffindors sort of do think they're better then everyone else. There wasn't so much a pressure to win things; it was more just about not losing, because we were better then the Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs and losing to them would be shameful. It was about not letting anyone show you up, especially not Slytherins who we hated. I think we need to work on our pride more then anything…"

"I couldda told jah that" Draco slurred. He was getting steadily drunker by the minute.

"I wonder if it'll still be like that when Hogwarts reopens" Susan asked

"_If _Hogwarts reopens you mean" Ginny pointed out "If it does, I think they should do away with houses- no I'm serious. Or they should be chosen randomly or changed each year. It's stupid to have all the people with a potential to turn to the Dark Side all locked up together in one house. Spread them out and hope they get influenced by everyone else."

"That's surprisingly sensible for a Gryffindor." Susan teased. _'And you're surprisingly pretty for a Hufflepuff'_ Ginny thought, but was sober enough not to say

"Ha ha ha" she said instead

"Oh don't be annoyed I'm only kidding"

"Yeah I know" Ginny admitted

"Guys, if we 'ad mixed houses, I mightta been mates wif Harry Potter!" Draco said as though the thought had only just struck him.

"Gosh Draco, I'm starting to think you've got a bit of a man crush on Harry Potter" Susan said

"I'm not a queer" he protested valiantly

"Course you're not" Ginny cooed "Unless you want to be, which is perfectly fine with us by the way."

"But, nahh, I'm not even..." he trailed off and began to snore. Ginny looked up at Susan.

"You don't think he actually _is_, do you?"

"Um…pass." Susan said "I think he does have man crush on Harry though, like he really admires him or something, even if it's not…you know"

"Ah right. God it's getting late, I want to go to sleep. Want to help me move him?" Ginny asked nodding at Draco

"Not really" laughed Susan, putting her empty margarita glass on the chest of draws.

"Oh well what am I meant to do?" Ginny asked. She couldn't sleep on the sofa as it was still a large pink jelly due to Draco's experiments earlier that day.

"Go sleep on his bed" Susan suggested

"Have you been in his room? It's filthy, he doesn't change his sheets. No way am I sleeping in there. And as if I'd leave you two alone; I'd come in the next morning and you'd be pregnant with a little baby Malfoy."

"Oh in Draco's dreams maybe, but in real life, as if I'd go there" Susan said. Ginny's heart leapt. "You can just share with me if you really want to, it's a double bed anyway" Ginny's heart did a cartwheel.

"Better not find you lesbian raping me in the night" Ginny said as she go into Susan's bed, her pajama's already being on.

"Haha, no Ginny, sorry to disappoint you, it won't be happening." Susan joked. Ginny kicked her. Susan kicked her back and a small war ensued.

"Night dick" Susan said turning over and closing her eyes.

"Night" Ginny replied. She pretended to be asleep, but through the gaps in her eyelashes she looked over at the side of Susan's face. Her cheek bones caught the moonlight. Ginny wanted so much to reach out and hold Susan close to her, but she didn't and shortly after, she fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks to who reviewed my last chapter. It really means a lot to know people care enough about your fic to review it! Once again, comments, questions, advice, crit, it's all welcomed! Plz R&R.**

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"Budge up girlies" said Draco to Susan and Ginny as they sat on the couch watching TV. Draco threw himself down, forcing Susan and Ginny closer together. Ginny's eyes remained fixed on the TV, but she had become acutely aware of all her other senses. She felt how close Susan was and exactly how she smelt; of the beach and coconut moisturizer and something entirely her own.

"Gosh" said Draco as he got up to make himself another gin and tonic "Bad news I'm afraid. We're running low on alcohol" to prove it he held up the gin bottle; it only had one mouthful left. The girls- clearly feeling quite alarmed- ran over to inspect the other bottles. It was the same story in each one; just a swig or two left.

"I never did master that re-filling spell" Susan admitted.

"Nor I" said Draco sadly "Damn it. Oh well, all good things must come to an end eventually" with that he threw back the last of the bottle. But much to his surprise gin just kept pouring into his mouth. He spluttered and choked.

"What the hell?" Draco asked mopping the alcohol off his t-shirt.

"It must already have an instant refilling charm on it!" Ginny concluded happily. To prove her theory she tipped an almost empty mulled mead bottle upside down into the sink. Amber liquid just kept spilling out.

"Well we needn't have been so stingy with our evening cocktails then" Draco pointed out pleased

"You were being stingy? I'd like to see you drinking normally then!" Ginny said

"I'll take that as a challenge. This new discovery demands we do something, and I propose we play drinking games!" Draco said

"Do you know any?" Susan asked skeptically

"Er, no I don't actually" Draco admitted

"Nor I" added Ginny

"Lucky for you two I do. Learnt it off my muggle second cousin"

"Hurrah for muggle second cousins" shouted Draco

"Yeah well, we'll need a deck of cards" Susan announced, and then proceeded to explain the rules of the game. Depending on what card you picked up, you either had to take a shot of alcohol, do a dare, dare someone else, tell a secret or ask someone else a secret.

"A Six of Clubs, I shot" Draco said knocking back two inches of vodka. Then it was Susan's go. She picked the Jack of Spades.

"Ask someone a truth then, go on"

"Hmm, Ginny" Susan said finally, her brown eyes locking into Ginny's. "Name all the people you've ever snogged"

"Oh Merlin, we'll be here all night with that one" Draco said under his breath

"Shut up Draco. Ok, so Harry obviously, Dean, Michael, Zabini-"

"Blaise Zabini?" Draco asked appalled

"Yeah that's the one. It was at a party in the Ravenclaw common room in my 4th year, before I'd met Michael. He's pretty hot, but what a twat. Umm oh and Ashton Lovegood, Luna's second cousin. Lot more normal then she is mind."

"Slut. But yet again, hurrah for second cousins." Draco said

"It's only 5 people for god's sake! You should listen to Lavender Brown talking-"

"I'd rather not, thanks all the same"

They continued playing for several hours, all the while getting more and more intoxicated.

"Righto" said Draco. It was his turn to dare Ginny to do something. They'd been through most of the usual dares and it was getting harder and harder to be original. "Oh oh, I've got a good one! I dare you to snog Susan!" Draco rolled around on the floor with laughter, clearly cracking himself up. Ginny's mind sort of froze. She tried hard not to let her face give anything away. She wished she could look up at Susan to see how she'd reacted. It was the dare she'd been waiting for all night, both longing for it to come up and terrified that it would.

"Ha-ha, very funny Draco, it's not happening" Susan said un-amused. She sounded disdainful. Ginny's stomach plummeted. At least, thought the voice at the back of Ginny's mind, at least you know now. Better now then later, when you'd properly let yourself fall for her.

"Well if you're not going to do my dare, then dare me to do something crazy" Draco said, a mad glint in his eye. He was drunker then they'd ever seen him, even though he wasn't slurring his words this time.

"Ok, I dare you to run down to the coconut tree and come back with the biggest coconut you can find to prove you've done it" Ginny said to Draco. It was a thoroughly mundane dare.

"Ok then!" said Draco. He stood up quickly, stumbled on the rug, and ran off out the door. His departure left Susan and Ginny in a strained sort of silence. They were both thinking about the same thing. Ginny said she had to go to the toilet. She went into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her red hair had blonde streaks from all the time she'd been spending in the sun. Her freckles were more noticeable then ever. She supposed she looked quite pretty really. But not like Susan. _'Susan is beautiful. She could be America's next top model'_. Ginny thought drunkenly, remembering a TV show they had watched once. Immediately Susan's hair and eyes and lips and hips all flooded into Ginny's mind, and she was too drunk to want to keep them out. She finally knew what she had to do. She was going to march back into the living room and snog Susan, right there and then, and if Susan didn't like it, then in the morning she'd blame it on the alcohol. Then she'd know for sure how she felt. Turning the door handle, Ginny looked out into the hallway, only to see Susan walking towards her, already halfway there.

"Err hi" Ginny said awkwardly as she walked out into the hallway, slightly stumbling on the door frame on her way out.

"Hey, so I was just thinking" Susan began "About what Draco dared us to do. And like…" Susan trailed off. Ginny looked up her. They were standing quite close together. Susan's eyes were looking everywhere except at Ginny. She showed no signs of wanting to finish her sentence.

"If we did it wouldn't _mean _anything" Ginny said implicitly "I'm not a-"

"Nor I" Susan said quickly, cutting her off.

Ginny finally caught Susan's eye. They were standing even closer now. Ginny's nose grazed against Susan's cheek. Then they were kissing.

The kiss was soft and sweet and slow. It was the sort of kiss Ginny had assumed she wouldn't like, but now she was experiencing it, she liked it very much. It was the exact opposite of her first kiss with Harry. That had been hard and passionate and public. The built up lust from crushing on one boy for four years. Both she and Harry had known exactly what they'd wanted and gone straight for it. This time things were different, slower, more uncertain. Susan was all lips and mouth, barely using her tongue at all. Ginny was sure she could have stood there, snogging in the hallway for hours, but somehow they broke apart.

Up until then, the kiss with Harry had been the best kiss of Ginny's life, completely unopposed. She wasn't quite so sure now.

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**Yeah, so what do you think?? Do you like the way I handled the kiss? Lame/Good? Ok, Peace out guys.**


	8. Chapter 8

Ginny and Susan stood in the hall, perhaps a foot or two between them now. Ginny wanted to say something meaningful but she couldn't think of anything, so instead she just suggested they go find Draco. They found him asleep on the steps to the house and decided to leave him there until morning. The sun was just beginning to rise when they fell, exhausted, into bed.

* * *

Ginny woke up and rolled over. The clock on her bedside cabinet informed her that it was 12:30. She groaned. Her head was throbbing and her stomach fell as if there were several Niffler's inside her, all scuttling round the place in search of treasure. Slowly, the blurred, groggy memories of the previous night came back to her. She looked over at the bed opposite her. Susan wasn't there.

Getting up Ginny tossed her hair in a high pony tail and made a quick stop off at the bathroom to wash her face. She opened the kitchen door tentatively. Susan would be out there, Ginny knew because she could smell pancakes cooking. She hoped more then anything it wouldn't be weird between them. God she didn't want it to be weird.

She needn't have worried. As soon as she opened the door, the pancake Susan was halfway through flipping missed the pan and dropped to the ground. Susan looked up to see Ginny in the room.

"Well that was fucking great timing" she said in a deadpan voice.

They both cracked up laughing. It put an end to any possible notions of awkwardness existing between them.

"God I can't believe we snogged last night!" Ginny said still laughing

"What, it wasn't that bad was it?"

"I didn't say it was!"

"I was only winding you up! Interesting to hear that you thought it wasn't half bad though. My skills clearly extend beyond just males!"

"Oh ha ha ha" Ginny said sarcastically. She heard some one groan from behind the couch. Draco sat up, hands on his temples.

"Never, have I been this hung over." He said tiredly. Ginny giggled.

"Oh shut up you. And I can't believe I missed seeing this infamous snog." Draco added sounding thoroughly disappointed.

"Sucks to be you mate" Susan said bracingly.

"Damn right" Draco agreed.

Later that day they went down to the beach. Draco decided he wanted to have a diving competition with Susan and ran back to the house to get his swimming goggles (he referred to them as his, but really he had just found them in his room and they belonged to whoever owned the house). Susan stretched out on her towel yawning. She rolled over on her side to face Ginny.

"Gin," Susan asked with some reservation in her voice.

"Yeah"

"Umm, doesn't matter"

"Ok creep" Ginny said laughing and went back to the book she was reading. Susan didn't turn away though. She opened her mouth again, perhaps to say something else, but at that moment Draco thundered back out onto the beach. Ginny wondered what Susan had been about to say, and wished Draco could have saved his entrance for just a few more moments.

"Kay, let's go bitch, see who's the champion after this eh!" Draco said pulling on the plastic goggles which made him look incredibly silly.

Draco and Susan had their underwater swimming races while Ginny continued to read her book under the shade of a palm tree. She looked up at the sky, which seemed to stretch out forever, only the occasional lazy cloud drifting across it. Ginny watched the journey of a large seabird, steadily flying closer and closer towards the island. It was only when the bird was perhaps a hundred metres away that she realised it was no seabird at all. It was an owl.

"Draco, Susan, an owl look!" she shouted jumping to her feet. As it got even closer Ginny could see the note attached to it. Draco and Susan had jumped out of the water and were waiting for the owl to land next to Ginny, all three of them completely silent. Ginny noticed it was snow white; the only other owl she'd even seen that was been so pale was Hedwig. Her heart skipped a beat. Surely it couldn't be Hedwig?

The large snowy owl landed and Draco ripped the letter off its leg so eagerly it squawked and pecked his hand.

"It's from Harry" Ginny said certainly before Draco had so much as opened the letter.

"How do you know?"

"It's his owl."

"You better open it then" Draco said handing Ginny the letter. It was slightly damp from where he'd been touching it. Ginny felt terrified though she didn't know why. No word from anyone for almost four months, now this? Hedwig was eyeing Ginny curiously. The snowy white owl looked thoroughly out of place among palm trees and golden beaches.

"What are you waiting for?" Draco asked impatiently "Open it!"

Ginny did and read the letter, Susan and Draco peering over her shoulder.

'_Dear Ginny_

_I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to write, you must be terribly mad with me, but Dumbledore put you into hiding without telling me or Ron or Hermione. I had no idea. At the time we were searching for Hourcruxes anyway and weren't in contact with other witches or wizards; the owls trailing us would have been a dead give away to the Death Eater's of where we were heading. _

_I just got back a week ago and no one would tell me where you were. I thought the worst, but when I went to the Burrow and talked to Molly she told me everything. She couldn't let me think you were dead. I won't pretend I wasn't angry with Dumbledore, but he thought it was best and I suppose I can see what he meant even if I don't agree with him. I know you must be having an awful time, try to hold on. I hear you're stuck with Snape and Malfoy? Be sure to keep an eye on both of them. Regardless of what Dumbledore thinks, I don't trust Snape as far as I can throw him, and same goes for Malfoy. Look out for Susan Bones too won't you? She's a Hufflepuff and she'll probably be more trusting to wards them then you. I didn't have much to do with her at school but she seems nice enough and she comes from a good family._

_Anyway, the real reason I wrote; I'm organising a portkey to take you (and Susan if she wants) back home. I'll be able to come Saturday morning at 11 o'clock. Be ready to leave then. Don't tell Snape or he might try and stop you, and don't tell Malfoy as he'll probably tell Snape. Be packed and down at the beach ok? _

_I miss you so much Ginny. _

_-Harry'_

Ginny finished reading and looked around to Susan and Draco to see what their reactions would be. Susan finished reading before Draco. She looked taken aback.

"What, he thinks I can't take care of myself because I'm a Hufflepuff?"

"What? Why do care about that? The point it we're leaving"

"Merlin, thanks for the vote of confidence" Draco said having just finished reading himself "I'd almost begun to like Potter for your sake Ginny, but I think I'm pretty much back to hating him."

Ginny looked at them awestruck. How could they take so much notice of the trivial details when they'd just gotten their ticket home?

"Look who cares about that now, Saturday, that's tomorrow, we can leave this island. We can go home!"

"You mean you can. I doubt he'll want to take me. I'm not to be trusted remember?" Draco said, all bitterness

"Look, you're being silly-"Ginny said annoyed. How could they miss the point so badly?

"Am I?" Draco cut her off angrily "Because when people call you a blood traitor do you think that's silly? Potter's just told you I'm Slytherin scum and if I take offence-"

"He didn't say that"

"He might as well of"

"Susan, you tell him, he's taking this way too seriously." Ginny said applying to Susan for help. But Susan didn't say anything.

"I dunno, it's just kind of brought us back to reality. When we go back, it's going to be like this everywhere. It was before too but we just forgot."

Susan's words lingered on the air, all three of them considering their implications. The had been living in a world so removed from reality, going back to the real world were they would face the kind of stereotypes in Harry's letter was hardly an inviting concept. The silence was broken by Hedwig rustling her feathers. Draco took a deep breath and turned away, still mad. He began walking off up the beach.

"Draco-"Ginny called after him

"You'd better leave him." Susan said. Ginny looked at her. Her face was giving nothing away of what she was feeling. Ginny wondered if Susan was thinking the same things she was. It was over for them now. What ever it was they'd had; pretending to be dating to piss of Snape, drunken kisses, talking for hours about everything and nothing. When they got back they'd probably never see each other, or it would be awkward and forced when they did. Susan didn't even look like she gave a toss. Ginny felt the disappointment rise up inside her, quickly turning to anger.

"Fine then, whatever you say" Ginny said the words, which by themselves are so very mild and passive, with such a venomous tone that Susan looked quite startled. Ginny strode off up the track to the house and spent the rest of the afternoon shut up in her room. She didn't even come out for dinner, instead she lay fuming on her bed. After an hour or two her anger turned to frustration. Why did Harry have to come rescue her right then? Couldn't he of waited for just a bit longer? Ginny realised that it was frustration with the situation had caused her outburst, more so then anger with Draco or Susan. Even the way Harry described Draco and Susan, one as pure evil and one as a simpleton was hardly enough to cause more then a prickle of annoyance in Ginny. She would have felt the same if she hadn't gotten to know them over the past few months.

Finally at 10.30 her stomach began to rumble and Ginny decided to get something to eat. She guessed that Susan was sleeping in Draco's room, obviously not wanting to confront Ginny. It was much to her surprise that on entering the kitchen she discovered Draco and Susan drinking champagne and laughing at a DVD they were watching. Both of them fell silent at her entrance.

"I was just getting something to eat" Ginny began to explain. Susan and Draco looked at each other.

"We were going to come get you in a second actually Gin" Susan admitted sheepishly

"Yeah, look I'm sorry we fought. Those things Harry said, he doesn't know any better and he's not you anyway. I shouldn't have, I shouldn't of gotten all-" Draco began

"No it's fine, it's my fault too-"

"Look anyway, it's our last night here, we thought we might celebrate. Champagne?" Susan offered. Ginny took a glass.

In no time things were back to normal, all three of them laughing and chatting as if there never had been any fight at all. They reminisced about all the fun they'd had in the last months, knowing it would be coming to an end so soon. To Ginny it felt surreal; in less then 24 hours she'd be back at the Burrow. She couldn't comprehend it. Two glasses of champagne weren't very much but on an empty stomach it soon when straight to Ginny's head.

"And remember our pirate speaking day? And that time Draco dressed in drag all day, even though we said weren't having a theme that day? And it was just Draco being a freak? "Susan collapsed in laughed, her head falling into her hands.

"Well remember that time, you, you-" Draco stammered trying to come up with something Susan had done that was equally embarrassing.

"No Draco, I don't think you'll be able to come back from that one" Ginny giggled

"Oh shut up you two, you always bully me. You know what I'm really going to miss?"

"Being able to dress up as a girl whenever you want?"

"Apart from that, I'm really going to miss the TV!"

"Honestly Draco, I thought you were going to say our company or something lovely and meaningful like that, but you're going to miss the bloody TV?"

"Fuck yes I am!" said Draco

"Let's watch one last movie, just for old time sake. What shall it be? "

They settled on '_Mary Poppins_' because Draco said he wanted to sing along to all the songs, and possibly also because he had a crush on Julie Andrews, but by '_Let's go fly a kite'_ Draco had nodded off to sleep, his head lolling to the side, tongue poking out slightly. Privately Ginny felt very grateful for Draco's inability to handle his alcohol. She cast a furtive glance at Susan.

"So," she said as the DVD credits wound to a close. She felt a bit bolder then usual, perhaps it was the alcohol, maybe it was because she knew this was her last chance to talk openly to Susan.

"So," Susan said back looking at Ginny.

"Last night here eh?" Ginny said, trying to move closer to Susan without waking up Draco who was on her other side.

"Yup looks like it…" Susan said, and unless Ginny was very much mistaken she was trying to do the same thing

"I'll miss you" Ginny said simply.

They both leaned in at the same time.

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**The fic's not over yet! I've still got heaps to write... reviews and crit welcomed. **


	9. Chapter 9

The girls and Draco deliberated for sometime about inviting Snape to come with them. Draco was concerned about leaving him alone on the island, but Ginny had some of Harry's suspicions about Snape possibly wanting to prevent them from leaving. Eventually they decided it would be slightly inhuman to leave anyone, even Severus Snape, alone on an island for the rest of their lives, so they decided to invite him.

None of them wished to be the one to open Snape's door and ask though. Draco was nominated as he was a boy and a Slytherin, so Snape would be less offended by his intrusion. They were all surprised that when Draco finally plucked up the courage to go into Snape's room there was no one there.

"Perhaps he's gone for a walk?" Susan said

"But we'd have seen him leave" Draco pointed out

"Not necessarily, he might have gone last night." Ginny said

"Hold up guys, when was the last time any of us even saw Snape? Over a week ago wasn't it?"

"Yeah I'd say so"

"He could have gone for a walk anytime in the last week and just not come back" Ginny said gravely "His things are all here, he obviously hasn't left…"

"Do you think he like, fell down a crevasse or something?" Draco asked worriedly. Ginny almost laughed thinking about how many Hogwarts students over the years would have wished such a thing to happen to Snape.

"He might have just sprained his ankle and not been about to get back"

"Maybe…maybe he didn't want to come" Ginny said uncertainly

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Well think about it, he's one of the most wanted wizards in the world and no one exactly likes him do they? Even on our side, he's hardly popular. He hasn't got much to come back for."

"What are you suggesting? He wondered off into the forest to die or something?" Susan asked. Ginny didn't answer.

"I guess that's possible. But perhaps he's already found someway to get back we didn't think of" Draco suggested

"We should go look for him anyway, just to be sure" Susan said, clearly disgusted at the idea of leaving Snape dying in a tropical island jungle while they escaped.

"We can't- no I mean we actually can't! It is quarter to eleven now, we've not got anytime. Remember how long it took us to walk around the island that time? He could be any where; we've got no hope of finding him in 15 minutes." Ginny said

"Guess you're right." Susan said sadly. "I'll write him a note anyway, saying where we've gone and that we'll come back for him." To Ginny this seemed like a bizarre gesture, but it seemed to make Susan feel better so she didn't say anything. Privately she doubted that Snape would ever read the scrap of paper Susan lay down on his bedside. Ginny had no idea where Snape was, but couldn't really bring herself to care too much about a man who so clearly despised her and her entire family.

Having already packed up, all they had to do was do a quick 'scourgify' spell and they were ready to leave. It seemed strange to be leaving the house once and for all. Draco took the Mary Poppins DVD with him as a memento. Susan shut the front door, did a locking spell, and they began walking down to the beach, trending the familiar path one last time, trunks and bags in hand.

"I can't see why you took that bloody movie Draco, you've seen it enough times already and it's not like you'll be able to watch it when we get back, you've not got a T.V" Ginny said

"Well actually" said Draco quietly "I think I might try spending a while living in the muggle world. It's just it'd be nice to meet people who have no idea who I am and who've never tried to kill me before."

Ginny smiled. "Draco Malfoy turning muggle?" I never thought I'd see the day. You'll need a new name though; Draco Malfoy will make them think you're foreign."

"What about Brad Powers? Or Frank Buckingham?"

"Oh Merlin" Ginny rolled her eyes.

They were on the beach now. All they could do was wait. Ginny felt tense. What if he didn't come? She looked around at Draco, and shared a nervous smile with him. Susan was biting her lip. Ginny grinned and squeezed her hand tightly before letting go. She looked around at the island, knowing that this might be her last ever glimpse of it. Her trunk was getting covered it sand. Checking her watch she saw it was two minutes past eleven. She had butterflies in her stomach. Then suddenly there was a popping noise.

The noise came from behind them, which caught them all off guard; for some reason they were all facing the sea, as if they expected Harry to rise up from the ocean. Spinning around they saw a dazed looking Harry Potter clutching a rusted caldron.

"Merlin's Beard!" he said looking around at the palm trees. He was dressed in black robes down to his ankles and couldn't have stood out more compared to Draco, Susan and Ginny who were all wearing shorts and singlets of varying degrees of colour. Both parties looked at each other for a second, before Harry said a rather awkward "Er Hello guys, ready to go then?"

Draco, Ginny and Susan got up and attempted to touch the caldron (which was the portkey home) while still hanging onto their bags and trunks.

"It's set to go at seven minutes past eleven." Harry informed them. They nodded. Ginny would help but feeling slightly shocked by the sight of Harry. Not even so much Harry, but just another human besides Draco or Susan. It was as if she'd come out of solitary confinement or something.

They stood around awkwardly, none of them speaking, for a minute or two before Ginny felt a familiar tugging at her navel and she was off. The trip seemed to last a lot longer then any other portkey journey she'd ever been on, but then again, it was a lot further they were traveling. They landed in the middle of the Grimmauld Place dinning room.

"Oh Ginny love, come here" Molly Weasley was hugging Ginny before she'd even properly got her bearings back. She was passed from her mother to her father, then several of her brothers though she couldn't quite see which ones. Her mother was apologising and explaining and questioning her all at once. Ginny saw Hermione Granger come into the room bearing a tray of tea and biscuits, closely followed by Ron. Susan and Draco were being questioned by Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore in the opposite corner of the room. She heard Remus Lupin's voice and a laugh that was all too clearly Fleur. It seemed as if half the Order had come to welcome them home, or perhaps they were just there by coincidence. Ginny was sat down in a chair; she couldn't see Draco or Susan anymore. A strong cup of tea was shoved into her hands which she began drinking gratefully. Hermione said something in a comforting sort of a voice, but Ginny didn't actually hear what it was she said. Ron said something and laughed. Ginny realised she was freezing cold wearing nothing but shorts and a singlet top. Her feet were bare on the cold wood floor. Someone turned on the wizard wireless, she heard the sound of someone apparating or dissapparating, laughter, talking, more laughter, her mother squeezing her hand and telling her all she needed was a good night's sleep and she'd be right as rain. She still couldn't see Susan or Draco. Suddenly the sides of Ginny's vision began to close in and everything went black, just like a television set being turned off.

When she next woke up she wasn't sure how much time had passed. She wasn't even sure where she was. It was still Grimmuald Place, but it wasn't the bedroom she'd stayed in last time. It was a much bigger room with a huge bed right in the middle. She was lying under a feather duvet, which had become uncomfortably hot. She threw it off and went over to look out the large window. The view was rather dull; just more houses, all of which had chimneys spurting out grey-black smoke. Casting a glance around the room she realised Harry must be sleeping there. It had Hedwig's empty cadge in one corner and a scruffy pile of robes and books beside the wardrobe, all falling haphazardly out of a Hogwarts school trunk. It seemed Harry hadn't got round to unpacking yet.

Ginny lay back down on the bed. The clock on the duchess told her it was 5.30. She still wasn't used to how cold England was, and quickly had to crawl back under the duvet. She wondered where Susan and Draco were and whether they were ok. She could hear voices coming from outside her room, from the landing maybe. She wasn't quite sure what had happened before, she supposed she'd fainted from all the noises.

There was a creak at the door and Harry's head popped round.

"Oh sorry, I thought you were still asleep" Harry said and made to close the door.

"No, no don't go" Ginny called. Harry came in at sat at the end of the bed.

"How are Draco and Susan?" Ginny asked

"They're fine. Susan's gone to stay with Hannah Abbot; she only left about an hour ago. I think she wanted to say goodbye to you but thought it was best to let you sleep. Draco's still here. I don't think he's really got anywhere he can go; he was staying here before he got taken to the island you know." Harry said, and unless Ginny was mistaken there was an actual twinge of sympathy in his voice.

"Harry, please be nice to him. Ron and the twins are going to be horrible to him, but you can't let them ok? He's actually a really good person; he's not like what he was like at school." Ginny said anxious that Harry should understand in two minutes what it took her several days to accept. She could imagine Draco, even at that very moment, sitting somewhere downstairs having to stand taunts and evil looks from the others.

"Yeah sure Gin, don't worry" Harry said soothingly, stroking her feet. He seemed a lot calmer then Ginny had remembered, and somehow a lot more in control of things. It gave him the appearance of someone a lot older.

"Anyway, are you ok?" Harry asked. Ginny opened her mouth but didn't quite know what to say. Physically yes, she was fine, but emotionally?

"It's just, imagine you've only got two people to talk to for nearly four months, then all of a sudden you come back to _this_!" she waved her arms around vaguely. "It's like I've just woken up from some really long strange dream."

Harry smiled "Yeah I know how you feel. When I used to stay at Private Drive over the summer it was like I was stuck in some sort of dream. Well, more a nightmare really" he laughed though his eyes stayed somber.

"What's happened while I've been gone?" Ginny asked. Harry told her about collecting Horcruxes and how they'd found them all now, and all that was left was finding Voldemort. He said it as if he was glad, but Ginny could tell Harry was scared. How couldn't he be when he had a 50/50 chance of dying and the survival of the whole wizarding world rested on his shoulders? He didn't seem to want to talk about that very much so Ginny told him about life on the island and what they'd done to pass the time, leaving out certain pieces of information for obvious reasons.

"Has anyone else we know…" Ginny said quietly, not able to bring herself to say 'died'.

"Yes, loads." Harry said looking at the floor. "Mundungus got killed while trying to sell some dodgy broomsticks, turned out it was a set up by the Death Eaters. The Creevey brothers haven't been seen in months, the Ministry told their father not to keep his hopes up. The poor guy's a muggle milkman; he can hardly understand what's going on or why someone would want to do in his sons. Michael Corner's parents were killed and he was lucky to escape himself, Justin Flinch Fletchly was murdered, Slughorn isn't anywhere to be found but we're not sure if he's dead or just hiding out, Madam Rosmerta was murdered in the raid on Hogsmede-"

"Raid on Hogsmede?" Ginny cut in

"The Death Eater's attacked the village. The Order hadn't even heard it was going to happen. Most people managed to get away, apparated you know, but it's like a ghost town now. Who else… Alicia Spinnet's in St Mungo's but they don't think she'll make it, Terry Boot died trying to defend himself from an attack…"

The look of shock on Ginny's face must have shown.

"Yeah I know, I had this exact same talk with Dumbledore only about a week ago, just after I got back. So many people have died, you'll find yourself having conversations and talking about something someone said or did, and they somebody else will tell you that persons dead. That's why it's so important I find him soon, I can't let this carry on."

"But Harry I've just got back, I need to be with you for a while before…" again she couldn't bring herself to say what she feared might happen

Harry shook his head slowly. When he looked up, Ginny saw he had tears brewing in his eyes. She couldn't remember ever having seen Harry cry, except after the Tri Wizard Tournament and when Sirius died. "Ginny, I'd want nothing more then to stay here with you, in this room for ever."

"Then why can't you?" Ginny asked slightly hysterically, her voice getting higher. She realised she was on the verge of crying too.

"Because if I stay here with you that means so many other people aren't going to be able to be with the people they love."

The tears were dripping down both their faces. Ginny couldn't think of anything to say. Harry –who was sitting beside her now- held her close to his chest, then looked down and kissed her. Ginny felt safe and whole. She knew right then, not matter what else she might have felt for Susan, her feelings for Harry hadn't changed at all. She still loved him with everything she had.

When they broke apart Ginny let out a laugh "You know, I think I'll tell my daughters to make sure their boyfriends are the selfish, only-care-about-themselves type, rather then the self sacrificing sort. It would make everything so much easier for them." Harry smiled and kissed her again.

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**Ok so obviously the fic isn't over, I've still got my grand finale to go. Reviews are fantastic, I really appreciate each and everyone! You haven't seen the last of Draco and Susan just yet.**


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